CommentsXp Best movie ever!

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

tieman64 Though directed by the underrated Martin Ritt, "Conrack" is a generic and overly sentimental "teaching movie". Based on an autobiographical novel, "The Water Is Wide", the film stars Jon Voight as Pat Conroy, a young, idealistic teacher who is assigned to Yamacraw, an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina.As in keeping with the genre, Conroy finds himself thrust into a grim situation (teaching a number of poor, marginalised, black families), is chastised for his unorthodox and inspirational teaching methods, wins the hearts and minds of his students, inspires them to do greater things, and is himself touched by both his students and the "new culture" he has been exposed to. Very few films in the "teaching genre" break free of this template.Surprising for a film by the sensitive and once blacklisted Martin Ritt, "Conrack" is uncomfortably paternalistic and seems unconcerned with the wider, psychic effects of slavery (Conroy's students are "Gullah", descendants of South Carolinan slaves, and have preserved much of their African linguistic and cultural heritage). And like most films which advocate "being non-conformist", "Conrack" is built upon clichés and is itself throughly conformist.6/10 – See "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", Wiseman's "High School" and Laurent Cantet's "The Class". Worth one viewing.

John T. Ryan COMING on the heels of that 1970's "Blackploitation" Era, CONRACK (20th Century-Fox, 1974) offered audiences a low-key, sincere and everyday people sort of a drama. Offering a far different fair to its audience (which was far more general than those "Gansta" flicks); being a down to earth dose of realism that offered a lonely counterbalance to those shoot-'em-ups'.REPLACING lead characters that were bad-ass detectives, super-flies and megs/macks/pimps (Take your pick in terminology), was a lone, humble and meek teacher. The academian we speak of is the main character, Pat Conroy; who is the one and only lone teacher hired to take on the responsibility of a sort of old time one room school house on an island off the coast of South Carolina."CONRACK" (Jon Voight), the name that the youngsters dub him finds conditions in the school terribly backward. In addition to the physical properties of this "Little Red Schoolhouse", any systematic and progressively graduated educational system was totally absent.OH yeah, by the way, did we mention that further complications to any successful educational venture were manifested in two incontrovertible facts. Those were that Pat Conroy was both an outsider and he was white; with almost the entire population of this off-shore cay was black and very poor.PERPETUATING these unacceptable and deplorable conditions were the agents of the local board of education; being the school's Principal, Mrs. Scott (Madge Sinclair) and the Superintendent, Mr. Skeffington (Mr. Hume Cronyn). Between the two, we are made to understand that the teacher, being the low man on the totem pole, is powerless in most respects to affect any sort of meaningful, long-lasting improvements.BUT don't you tell a 'Young Turk', such as Pat Conroy, that he can't. (Can't anything, that is). "Conrack" spends a year of unorthodox classroom performances and is making real progress; but alas, the strong-headed teacher won't give in and recognize the authority of his superiors. While he is, by law and unbeknownst to him, serving at thee super's pleasure; he disobeys Mr. Skeffington's specific order and prohibition to take his class kids to the mainland of South Carolina on Halloween for some Trick-or-Treating; even going to the brazen act of stopping with them at the Skeffington residence.NEXT we see a Western Union Telegram messenger happily singing as he crosses from the Carolina mainland to the island; where he delivers the telegram to Conroy that bore the news of his dismissal from his position with that school and district.NOT BEING one to take his being fired lying down, Pat files suit against Mr. Skeffington, Principal Mrs. Scott and the Board of Education protesting his dismissal as being unlawful. Impartially reviewing both the "offense" and the law, the Judge asks Skeffington if there are any lesser punishments that could be substituted for Conroy's being separated from the school system; to which he receives a negative response. Fittingly, the Judge dismisses the suit with his gavel pounding down while saying, "It's very simple!" THE story is brought to a bittersweet conclusion as the 'Conrack'students see him off to the mainland bound launch, while a phonograph record provides us with BEETHOVEN'S 5th SYMPHONY; which had played an important part in the Conroy educational agenda, as well as our story.IN THE HUMBLE opinion of this writer, the story (which we believe was at least semi-autobiographical, even giving the main character the name of its author), was much more than a tale of a localized happening. To both me pal Schultz and meself; this is a sort of depiction of a microcosm that represents the overall deplorable conditions that permeate the Government Schools throughout the entire nation. (Just an opinion) AS FOR THIS film, it was just one of many movies portraying the stores of common folk; leading their lives of "quiet desperation" in the great hinterlands of the country, which lie outside the D.C. Beltway and the urban centers of enterprise and communications situated on either the Atlantic or Pacific Coasts.IN ITS OWN small way, this is a fine film, which would soon be joined in the film vaults of 20th Century-Fox by such great works as NORMA RAE and BREAKING AWAY. (both being from TCF in 1979).SEE it if you ain't yet. Recommended by both Schulz and his buddy.*NOTE: * Why, that's me, of course! POODLE SCHNITZ!!

edwagreen Superb story of a dedicated young teacher who sets out teaching minority children in an area off South Carolina.Jon Voight is just tremendous as the headstrong, dedicated, idealistic teacher who faces this challenge despite a principal, who believes in stern discipline and has little regard for modern educational techniques as well as a crusty old school superintendent, played with relish by the late Hume Cronyn. Madge Sinclair is the principal who loves her babies.As I'm a retired teacher, I could in some ways relate to this excellent film. The ignorance shown here as well as the lack of cooperation with officials is also quite apparent in urban areas.Voight realizes that these children need far more than the traditional teachings of a classroom. He has them go out and experience life by themselves by learning outdoors.The end is a definite downer but so true to life.Amazing that such backward students had a zest for learning and were well disciplined. I guess that answers my question. The behavior was there and they were motivated to succeed despite their environment.The ending will just tug at your heart. It was memorable and so well poignant.

Ken Lyon (kwlyon) This film, as has already been pointed out, is of the "idealistic teacher meets challenging class in unsupportive environment and triumphs" class. And it's nicely done.But the ending sure touched a nerve in me. Our idealistic teacher who has been very successful in teaching his class many important things then chooses to abdicate his responsibility to his students rather than give up behaving any old way he pleases. His few attempts to work with those who must take responsibility for his work are actually greeted with some movement on the part of the authorities. But he changes not at all, continuing to teach his charges by example that self-discipline and willingness to face and cope with adversity are not important. Appropriately, the music played as our teacher abdicates his young charges is the "death knocking at the door" theme of Beethoven's 5th.